What Politicians Propose for Early Childhood Education

In a Zoom panel held this week, politicians from across the political spectrum presented their positions on early childhood education. Issues raised included oversight of unlicensed daycare centers, fees charged to parents during the war, caregiver wages, and the need for a national authority to consolidate the field currently spread across four ministries.

In a Zoom panel held this week, politicians from across the political spectrum presented their views on early childhood education to an audience of professionals, researchers, and parent organization representatives. The panel was organized by the 121 organization. MK Yosef Taieb (Shas) called for the establishment of a national authority for early childhood, replacing the current dispersion across four ministries. MK Orit Farkash-Hacohen (Yashar) argued that the problem is budgetary and proposed a uniform standard for daycare centers based on a European quality standard. MK Katy Shitrit (Likud) proposed compensating parents for the period when daycare centers were closed during the 'Lion's Roar' war. MK Uri Maklev (United Torah Judaism) argued that one should ask why parents send children to unlicensed daycare centers. MK Limor Son Har-Melech (Otzma Yehudit) did not commit to equalizing caregiver wages with those of education support staff. Dr. Nahaia Washahe (Hadash) proposed making all daycare centers public. The discussion also touched on the Daycare Law, which changes subsidy criteria to encourage yeshiva families.

What Politicians Propose for Early Childhood Education